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Sam Ragan
Samuel Talmadge Ragan (December 31, 1915 - May 11, 1996)Representative Eva Clayton of North Carolina. [http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/z?r104:H16MY6-577: Tribute To Sam Ragan] (House of Representatives - May 16, 1996). Retrieved March 30, 2005. was an American poet, journalist, prose author, and champion of the arts from North Carolina. Life Ragan was born in Berea, North Carolina, the son of Emma Clare (Long) and William Samuel Ragan. In 1936 he graduated from Atlantic Christian College (now Barton College) in Wilson, North Carolina. He married Marjorie Usher in 1939. He served briefly as a reporter for the San Antonio Evening News, now the San Antonio Express-News, and then returned to North Carolina where, beginning in 1941, he held various editorial positions with The Raleigh News & Observer. While with the News & Observer he began writing Southern Accent, a weekly newspaper column of literary criticism, commentary, and poetry. It became the longest-running column in the United States, and appeared in 43 states and 24 foreign countries. In 1969 Ragan purchased The Pilot, a small weekly newspaper in Southern Pines, North Carolina. He served as its editor and publisher, remaining active on The Pilot's staff until his death. In addition to his work as a newspaperman, Ragan published 6 collections of poetry including Journey Into Morning and To The Water’s Edge, as well as several works of non-fiction. He taught creative writing and journalism at Sandhills Community College, St. Andrews Presbyterian College (now St. Andrews University) and North Carolina State University. However, he may be best known as a public intellectual and a widely admired advocate of the arts. He was the 1st secretary of the North Carolina Department of Cultural Resources and the 1st chair of the North Carolina Arts Council. He served as president of the Associated Press Managing Editors and the North Carolina Press Association. In addition to serving on the boards of several associations devoted to history, music and the humanities he helped found and guide the North Carolina School of the Arts, and the Weymouth Center for the Arts and Humanities. North Carolina Congresswoman Eva M. Clayton once remarked that, "Those who are acquainted with Sam Ragan's professional activities are fully aware that as an editor he fashioned a distinguished career of recording and examining newsworthy events. How remarkable, then, that in his poetry he focused on ordinary people, the small incidents of daily life, the quiet unfolding of nature--events that never rated a headline. His unique talent transformed simple everyday occurrences. He made ordinary people special and special people ordinary." A member of the Presbyterian church, Ragan was also a life-long champion of the Democratic Party. In 1961 he wrote "The Democratic Party: Its Aams and purposes" and with Elizebeth Ives in 1969 he wrote "Back to Beginnings: Adlai E. Stevenson and North Carolina." North Carolina Governor Terry Sanford described Ragan as "one of North Carolina's treasures. He was a crusading editorial force at The News and Observer where he fought for the improvement of education, the elimination of racial injustice and the broadening of economic opportunities." Recognition Ragan was a recipient of the North Carolina Award in Fine Arts, the John Taylor Caldwell Award for The Humanities, The Roanoke-Chowan Award for Poetry, the R. Hunt Parker Award for Literary Achievement, the Morrison Award and the North Caroliniana Society Award. He was elected to both the North Carolina Journalism Hall of Fame and the North Carolina Literary Hall of Fame. Ragan was awarded honorary doctorates at St. Andrews University in Laurinburg, North Carolina, Atlantic Christian (Barton) College, The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and Methodist College in Fayetteville, North Carolina. In 1982 Governor Jim Hunt named Sam Ragan North Carolina’s Poet Laureate for life. Elena Ruehr composed a musical piece titled Exodus, based on 4 poems by Ragan.Classical Voice of North Carolina The work was commissioned by the Coastal Carolina Chamber Music Festival and premiered during the 2005 season. In 1981 St. Andrews University initiated the Sam Ragan Awards. These awards are given annually "to honor of Samuel Talmadge Ragan, North Carolina's first Secretary of Cultural Resources" Barton College founded the Sam and Marjorie Ragan Writing Center in their honor. In 2003 the North Carolina Literary and Historical Association paid tribute to Ragan's memory by establishing the Ragan Old North State Award Cup for Nonfiction. Publications Poetry *''The Tree in the Far Pasture''. Winston-Salem, NC: John F. Blair, 1964. *''To the Water's Edge''. Durham, NC: Moore, 1971. *''Journey into Morning: Poems''. Laurinburg, NC: St. Andrews Press, 1981. *''A Walk into April: Poems''. Laurinburg, NC: St. Andrews Press, 1986. *''Collected Poems''. Laurinburg, NC: St. Andrews Press, 1990. *''Listening for the Wind''. Laurinburg, NC: St. Andrews Press, 1995. Non-fiction *''Back to Beginnings: Adlai E. Stevenson and North Carolina'' (with Elizabeth S. Ives). Charlotte, NC: Heritage Printers, 1969. *''Wilmington: 250 years, 1739-1989''. Wilmington, NC: City of Wilmington, 1989. Edited *''The New Day''. Zebulon, NC: Record, 1964. *''Poetry under the Stars''. Durham, NC: Moore, 1979. x *''Portfolio, 1983: A collection of award winning North Carolina poetry''. Greensboro, NC: Poetry Center Southeast, 1983. *''Weymouth: An anthology of poetry''. Laurinburg, NC: St. Andrews Press, 1987. *''North Carolinians Write about Poverty''. Greensboro, NC: N.C. Poverty Project, 1988. >''Except where noted, bibliographical information courtesy WorldCat.Search results = au:Sam Ragan, WorldCat, OCLC Online Computer Library Center Inc. Web, Dec. 26, 2015. Audio / video *''Poems of Sam Ragan (LP). New Rochelle, NY: Spoken Arts, 1986. *''Talk about Writing: Sam Ragan'' (VHS). Raleigh, NC: North Carolina State University, 1993. See also *List of U.S. poets References * McDonald, Agnes. "Sam Ragan: Gentle minder of the arts." Carolina Arts 1 (Autumn 1981): 36-37. * Morgan, Neil. Sam Ragan. Chapel Hill, N.C.: North Caroliniana Society, 1981. Imprint No. 5. * Roberts, Nancy. "The Mission of Sam Ragan." In The Goodliest Land: North Carolina. Text by Nancy Roberts; photographs by Bruce Roberts. Garden City, N.Y.: Doubleday, 1973. pp. 46-47, 51, 53. * "Special Sam Ragan Issue." Sandhills/St. Andrews Review 41 (1992). * Tributes to Sam Ragan in Pembroke Magazine, No. 17, 1985: 139-148. Fonds * Inventory of the Sam Ragan Papers, 1948-1996, in the Southern Historical Collection, UNC-Chapel Hill Notes External links ;Poems *"Let us Walk into April" ;Books *Sam Ragan at Amazon.com ;About *Sam Ragan at the North Carolina Poetry Society *Sam Ragan at the North Carolina Literary Hall of Fame *Samuel T. Ragan is Dead at 80: Poet Laureate of North Carolina, New York Times Category:1915 births Category:1996 deaths Category:Barton College alumni Category:American journalists Category:American poets Category:People from Alexander County, North Carolina Category:Poets Laureate of North Carolina Category:State cabinet secretaries of North Carolina Category:20th-century poets Category:English-language poets Category:Poets